Old People Are Forcing EMS Funding in Texas Counties

Texas is a growing state. I mean that in more ways than one. Not only is the state's population growing at a rapid rate, but the older population and still getting... older. Medical care is needed more and more for some counties, but concerns are rising as hospital space and ambulance services are being harder to come by.

Johnson County Hospitals

Rick Bailey, Johnson County Commissioner Precinct 1, recently stated that he often gets complaints pertaining to ambulance response time from his constituents.

The Texas Tribune added that Johnson County gained about 25,000 more residents in the past three years alone.

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The three main reasons for medical emergency services in Johnson County involve survivors of car accidents, women going into labor, and the older population seeking medical care.

Unfortunately, the county's only hospital, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne, closed its maternity department earlier this year. This required soon-to-be mothers to travel outside of the county for care.

Commissioner Bailey told the Tribune that he has already received complaints. "I got a call for a woman who was in her second trimester", she then asked the Commissioner "'What are we going to do? I was depending on the hospital out here.'"

Statewide EMS Crises in Texas

Residents have taken to congregate more to the outskirts of larger cities like Fort Worth and Dallas due to rising housing prices. This puts stress on emergency services in congested areas, especially where older people that are more prone to medical emergencies live.

Texas Health and Human Services noted that the Lone Star State has the third largest population of residents that are 50 years old or older in the U.S.

This, along with the fact that medical personnel are getting harder to come by in more rural communities, means that county leaders are asking the state for help.

Commissioner Bailey, among others, will be asking lawmakers for structured state funded emergency medical care without the need of raising property taxes.

It's going to be an uphill battle, but when it comes to the safety and care of Texans in need of medical care, it's tough to add a price tag.